Wishlist 2022/2023: Page 8 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Wishlist 2022/2023

Meatwad

Clrnc
what does this even mean though? this isn't arsene wenger or la liga, every top 4 team in the premier league is trying to build a title winning side. also would you have called xhaka a top 4 player, but not a title challenger before this season?

Clrnc

Meatwad it means I don't think we should be targeting depth, but rather world class players. I am a huge fan of Hatate, wishlisted him previously but our level now is Caicedo etc

Meatwad

Clrnc

then he's not good enough for anyone in the top 6 (newcastle replacing tottenham). there aren't separate top 4 and title contender levels anymore because if you're premier league top 4 quality then you're title contender quality.

Claudius

Clrnc this is the formula, Clrnc. The best teams replace at the top of the squad. That’s how they stay great and get even better.

Also why we will need to be comfortable with very few of the kids breaking through next few years. Bar just got higher. So am Nketiah level kid will not smell this squad.

QuincyAbeyie

That doesn't make sense to me. Why aren't Tottenham title contenders if their players are of title contending quality (according to you, they must be)?

Meatwad

QuincyAbeyie

tottenham aren't title contenders because they're tottenham. their goal is to be top 4 which means they build a squad that's just good enough to hang around and when a couple contenders are in transition they sneak in. i replaced them with newcastle going forward because the saudis goal isn't going to be just top 4 they want to win the whole thing.

obviously everyone in the top 6 can't win the title, but their goals are still the same whether they fail to achieve it or not. just because only two teams are contending this season doesn't mean united, chelsea and liverpool didn't have that goal when they were building their teams.

Burnwinter

Stats show this season there's only two contenders. I guess what's interesting is that it's been about far more than squad quality, though.

goon

Claudius

Agree that we shouldn't sign anyone who we don't believe could fight their way into the first XI but for me there's always room for a shrewd signing and those ones will inevitably start as 'depth', perhaps even for a season or two, while they develop and prove themselves. City actually do this quite well.

lorddulaarsenal

Same goes for Smith Rowe - mustn’t get too precious over him because he’s from the academy and helped us during the Mustafi sunset years. If we’re replacing Xhaka they need to be elite.

Doc

Err. Same for Nelson 🤷‍♂️

lorddulaarsenal

Nah because he has different traits and abilities and has shown to be clutch in a top level Arteta team

RowJimmy

Smith Rowe has much more to offer than Nelson.

Big Willie

Dules has for some reason invested a lot of time and energy convincing himself that ESR isn't good enough. Dunno what the lad's done to him to be honest haha.

Injuries permitting, I think he's got a the biggest chance of establishing himself long term in the side from those players just outside the first XI.

lorddulaarsenal

Big Willie to be fair it hasn’t taken a lot of effort on my part. I’m quick to accurately assess players ability and fit. It’s no coincidence that we started to play better football when he came out of the side

Claudius

lorddulaarsenal
The fitness issue is underrated by Arsenal fans. The fact that we have 8 players fit all season and Odegaard largely fit is a significant driver of our success. The team has familiarity. The playing patterns become subconscious for them. Players who are in and out of the squad like ESR and Tomi cannot contribute to that flow. It’s not good enough to be skilled. You also need to be available at the end of the day.

Big Willie

lorddulaarsenal to be fair it hasn’t taken a lot of effort on my part. I’m quick to accurately assess players ability and fit. It’s no coincidence that we started to play better football when he came out of the side

We actually started playing better when he came into the side and he and Martinelli pretty much saved Arteta from almost guaranteed sacking 2 Christmases in a row when our style of play was absolute gutter and our results were possibly even worse.

But no worries, if you think ESR isn't going to make it from a football ability perspective then that's you. I quite enjoy the ability he has and what he shows when he's on the field. Just wish he could get over his injuries. With an extended injury free period and run in the team I'm sure he'd be able to show you that you've underestimated him.

lorddulaarsenal

Would happy to be proved wrong! Claude I was talking about for to the system and playing style not fitness, but you’re point stands

Claudius

lorddulaarsenal from a playing style standpoint I have no worries. ESR easily meets the bar. The kid is very two footed in his dribbling, which makes him hard to contain even in tight spaces, and he’s learned to pass and shoot with both feet. He’s the type of flexible player Arteta likes.

Would like to see him at 8 or 9 when he’s fully fit. Think the wings need more zip, but he should do well centrally

Burnwinter

To win trophies, this is the mentality we'll need: Smith Rowe gets a chance to get fit and prove he's at Ødegaard or Partey's level, or in Arsenal terms he's at best a squaddie until he does. You'd hope any fan would be happy with that.

Beyond that the issue for him is timing, as it looks as if Xhaka and Partey will move on before the question is decided either way, and we're in hot pursuit of the likes of Rice and Caicedo.

RowJimmy

Camavinga

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